Chapter 216

"If that was the case, you should've told me sooner."

"Yes?"

Kang Changho no longer seemed intent on attacking.

"If you really are an S-rank Hunter, then there was no reason for me to be surprised over a mere C-rank Gate."

"Hmm."

"But you do realize this was mostly your fault, right? No matter what, you shouldn't be sending people work-related texts at dawn."

"Ah, I'm sorry. About the Mimic City case... Since I'm a freelancer, my day-and-night schedule is all over the place."

"Is that so?"

"I momentarily lost track of the time when I sent the message from home."

"Well, we don't really have any concept of working hours."

What followed was a brief exchange between the two Hunters.

"Anyway, unless you're planning to wreck that barely recovered body of yours again, refrain from contacting me at dawn from now on."

Kang Changho handed the housewarming gift he had been carrying to the landlord, then made a certain proposal.

"If you're really an S-rank, then this works out perfectly. At least I won't have to worry about you being overwhelmed by the magic and dying when we go to an arena packed with Awakeners."

"Oh, well, the thing is, my condition right now... is still a little...?"

"Is that so? You're not going to China because your health isn't good?"

Of course, the other person's answer wasn't particularly important.

"What I just said was a joke. I'll see you at the airport next Saturday."

***

Tianjin.

Today, an unprecedented number of people had gathered in this port city.

There were members of the media who had paid hundreds of millions of won for live-broadcasting rights, foreigners wearing expressions of open excitement, and among them, exceptional powerhouses whose very presence set them apart from ordinary people.

The newly completed international stadium stood broad and solid, resembling a fortress that had taken years to construct.

In reality, however, it had been completed in a remarkably short period of time through the combined efforts of local Awakeners.

Once inside, though, the shortcomings quickly became apparent, such as the spectator stands consisting of little more than plain stone steps.

Any structure repeatedly exposed to the abilities of Awakeners was bound to have a shortened lifespan.

After the event, the host country would even suffer a minor mishap because it had chosen to cut costs by constructing the stadium on the assumption that it would be demolished once the tournament ended, despite knowing full well that its structural safety would deteriorate over time.

[The reality of the stadium Awakeners built in just one month.jpg]

[Actual situation] This is a six-million-won seat...?

[Safety concerns surrounding a hastily constructed building made with Awakener abilities]

And so, as usual, various online communities were busy tearing into every flaw they could find.

Interestingly enough, despite all that negative public sentiment, tickets for the event continued to sell out without difficulty.

[[Breaking News] Current List of S-rank Hunters Confirmed to Participate in the 1st HT...]

Intelligent beings were naturally weak to curiosity.

And this event promised a spectacle so fascinating that the public simply couldn't ignore it.

[Amazing.]

[They're really having S-ranks fight each other??]

[Looks like that insane Triana really is one hell of a prize <<<]

Before long, warriors carrying ambitions of their own began arriving at the city's port and airport...

***

2.5 km from the stadium.

A hotel.

"Zhan. We've received final confirmation that the S-rank Hunters from Korea have entered the country."

"No one's missing, right?"

"Not among the Six-Star level, at least. We don't have to worry about the Yellow Dragon Battle anymore."

Tap.

The man called Zhan set down the whiskey glass in his hand and turned around.

He was a well-known figure who had also appeared at the Gate Star party some time ago.

His skin was dark, perhaps because his former occupation had frequently required him to work outdoors.

His hair, tied neatly into a somewhat old-fashioned bun, made him look like the protagonist of a classic martial arts film.

Outside the country, he was referred to as an S-rank Hunter.

Here, however, where China used its own unique classification system, the term "Six-Star Awakener" was more common.

F-rank, E-rank, D-rank.

One-Star, Two-Star, Three-Star.

There was no reason to obsess over trivial differences in terminology.

What mattered was that he stood at the pinnacle of the Awakener world—a predator at the very top.

And through this event, he intended to prove that even among competitors of such extraordinary caliber, his position remained at the absolute summit.

"Hmm. Four people. Four."

Zhan skimmed through the documents his subordinate had brought him, deep in thought.

For now, four top-tier figures from foreign countries had agreed to participate in the event.

The participation rate was low considering the enormous prize money being offered, but it was enough.

After all, they had successfully recruited a representative from the "most important country" of all—the United States.

"It's truly a shame Japan's participation fell through. When I contacted them last time, it sounded like Japan was still in chaos over that... what was it, the guild decentralization issue? Anyway, it seems they're still dealing with the fallout. Of course, even if one of their Awakeners had come, they would've ended up as nothing more than a moth flying into the flame."

Zhan spoke in his usual mild tone, prompting a few quiet chuckles from the others in the room.

After all, the reason S-ranks had gathered in one place was the top-tier Epic item, Triana.

But the Chinese side had absolutely no intention of letting that item fall into foreign hands.

The geographical advantage of a port city, which favored someone who had awakened to a water attribute.

Magic stones buried beneath the ground, ready at any moment to amplify the destructive power of his skills.

And, taking full advantage of the privileges afforded to the host country, various tricks prepared to deceive the inspectors during the stadium's item checks.

Zhan had already been promised a level of support that went far beyond any ordinary home-field advantage.

As a result, he was already envisioning his victory before the match had even begun.

Of course, whether one called it fraud or trickery, this was a world in which only the victor's name remained, regardless of the means used to achieve that victory.

Zhan believed he had made a thorough and shrewd decision for the sake of his country, and privately took pride in it.

All that remained now was to live up to the expectations everyone had placed upon him.

"This matter came directly from the higher-ups, so everyone, make sure you stay sharp."

"Yes!"

"Besides, this event is the first Awakener Festival in world history!"

"Ooh!"

The people gathered in the room popped open bottles of champagne as though the competition had already ended.

Just as the mood reached its peak...

"Zhan!"

"Yes, Li Chiang."

A high-pitched voice suddenly rang out from one corner.

The Chinese man who had spoken was another top-tier Awakener, one who looked younger than Zhan.

He pointed at the paper in his hand as though something had been bothering him and continued.

"By the way, about the matches. Is it really all right to organize them like this? If you put a Six-Star—an S-rank Hunter by the international classification—against a Five-Star, meaning an A-rank Hunter, isn't that going too far?"

"Of course the Five-Star will lose."

"Isn't that too obvious? People have already been complaining, asking why the Yellow Dragon Battle is being run this way."

He was right.

In the Yellow Dragon Battle tournament, where S-rank and A-rank Hunters were placed in the same bracket, the odds of an A-rank actually winning were practically nonexistent.

But China had little choice.

Too much money had already been spent attracting spectators for the event to serve merely as a means of boosting national prestige.

To avoid operating at a loss, they had to increase the participation of famous individuals who could draw as much attention to the matches as possible.

"Li Chiang. Watching someone get overwhelmingly crushed can be entertainment in its own right."

Zhan clasped his hands behind his back, his tone remaining calm.

"If someone of a lower rank loses to a Six-Star, they'll receive an appropriate consolation prize. To be frank, it isn't such a bad deal for them either."

"Really?"

"Some of the Five-Stars were actually pleased. They said it was a valuable opportunity to fight a Six-Star Awakener."

Naturally, the chances of some miraculous upset occurring in a hastily arranged event like this were slim.

"Besides, on the off chance that an underdog does pull off an upset and bring down an S-rank, we'd get quite the spectacle out of it. For now, let's just wait and see."

"Well..."

"This is the first event of its kind anyway. Does everything really need to be perfect?"

Zhan shrugged as he finished speaking.

"Dang, dang, dang."

At that moment, a traditional chime rang out to mark the exact hour.

It was about time they left the hotel and made their way to the stadium...

"Zhan. By the way, what about the Yellow Dragon Battle match schedule? You still haven't received it?"

The Chinese Hunters exchanged a few words as they prepared to leave.

"Of course I have. It hasn't been released publicly yet, but I've already received all the details."

"Aha."

"But until the matches begin, it's strictly confidential. It wouldn't be any fun if someone took one look at the name tags and tried to slip away."

"Even so, I doubt those Five-Stars, proud as they are, would give up that easily. And in order to receive the participation fee, they have to remain in the match for at least..."

"Shh. Hold on. I'm getting another call."

But then.

A new call suddenly came through on Zhan's cell phone.

"Hello?"

The number displayed on the screen belonged to the event manager.

And the moment Zhan heard the news coming through the speaker, his expression shifted slightly in surprise.

"What? We need to change the matchups immediately?"

.

.

.

Meanwhile, inside one of the waiting rooms prepared at the stadium.

"Waaah, ugh..."

"..."

"Haa... If I hadn't gone all-in back there..."

Brown and gold.

Two foreigners sat in the room after enduring a long flight to participate in the tournament, drinking God's Droplet—a liquor capable of intoxicating even Awakeners.

One was a gambling addict.

The other was a drunkard.

At last, one of the S-rank Hunters could stand it no longer and shouted.

"You're driving me insane! How long are you going to keep whining about that game? Sophia, give it a rest!"

This was the waiting room assigned to the American participants in the Yellow Dragon Battle.

"B-but if I hadn't lost that one hand, I wouldn't have had to come all the way to a place like this...!"

The short Hunter's eyes kept welling with tears.

After working herself like a dog under her boss and finally paying off all her debts, she had barely managed to get a little spare cash into her hands—

only for her old habits to come roaring back almost immediately.

How could she have thrown all that hard-earned money away on card games again?

And worse, what had possessed her to take out a loan just so she could chase her losses?

She hated being in the spotlight more than anything.

But now she had no choice.

If she wanted to keep up with the merciless interest demanded by her debt-collector boss, she needed some way to make a large amount of money quickly.

And, as always, gambling was what had landed Sophia in this mess yet again.

"Damn it! Damn it..."

Still, the man sprawled across the couch didn't seem to have a particularly admirable reason for being here either.

Whoosh.

Sophia's gaze suddenly shifted toward the man behind her.

"But seriously, that Enzo guy is something else."

After Brooklyn Morgan's disappearance had been announced, Enzo should have known better than anyone what kind of chaos the Spectrum Guild had fallen into.

And yet the burly man had entered this tournament without hesitation, seemingly unconcerned with the fate of his former comrade.

He was probably after the second-place prize—120 Bottles of God's Droplet.

Still, with the Spectrum Guild's reputation currently in tatters, wouldn't it have been wiser to avoid drawing attention to himself, at least until the public had begun to forget about Brooklyn's disappearance...?

"Enzo."

Sophia spoke hesitantly.

"Are you really not bothered by it at all?"

"What?"

"Brooklyn. I mean... no matter what happened between you, she used to be part of the family. Then she vanished overnight."

But the answer she received was strikingly dry.

"Family, my ass. She was just someone who worked in the same business. We barely even had anything to do with each other."

"Hmm."

"When we first met, I think I was the one who tried joking around with her. But she just got pissed off, said she was already a married woman, and told me to get lost. What was I supposed to do after that? She was the one who refused to get close in the first place."

"Huh...? What exactly did you say to her?"

"Besides, that's just how the Hunter business works. Gates are more unpredictable than a rebellious teenager! An S-rank suddenly getting swallowed up by one wouldn't be strange at all."

"Hahaha!"

Enzo spoke while greedily gulping down the liquor on the table, soaking his beard in the process.

The drink was a cocktail made by diluting God's Droplet, a liquor potent enough to intoxicate even Awakeners.

Sophia quietly watched him.

That black mark had been the brand left by her slave.

And then, one day, the slave contract connecting them had suddenly vanished.

Just like that.

"3 PM on the 14th..."

While the sun had still been shining brightly here, Brooklyn had died.

Then how, exactly, had she met her end?

Had she been caught inside an EX-rank Gate far beyond what her foolish mind could handle?

Or had she encountered some horrific demon, like a Nuckelavee, in the depths of the ocean?

And yet, for some reason, Sophia couldn't shake the suspicion that Brooklyn Morgan had been killed by human hands.

That was because of...

"The Beast."

For some reason, the exact moment the rampaging Beast ceased its activities coincided perfectly with the time of Morgan's death.

The world still knew nothing about any connection between the Beast and Brooklyn Morgan.

And because of that, Sophia had arrived at another theory.

What if Brooklyn had been the final destination of that recent string of serial murders?

What if the Beast had finally been satisfied after sacrificing Brooklyn?

But then why had the Beast been collecting the corpses of Hunters in the first place?

And who was he to begin with?

...Come to think of it, the Beast had never been captured.

Which meant that even now, he had to be hiding somewhere within society—

wearing the skin of a human.